Neuroscientist Gary Small thinks the internet is changing the way our brains work. His new book, iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Human Mind posits that millenials/ "digital natives" are really good at making swift connections and decisions, but bad at recognizing subtle facial gestures. Small predicts that natural selection will favor these brains, and traditional interpersonal/non-verbal communications skills will become extinct.
The Modern Brain, Newsweek
iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Human Mind
This is interesting to me for two reasons... 1) in understanding communication for future generations and 2) it makes the holy grail of real, believable, human expression in 3D virtual characters less important if future audiences won't know the difference. It makes the uncanny valley a little narrower.